The regeneration of key areas of Warrington is part of a 20-year vision held by Warrington Borough Council but evidence of that vision yielding results are very much visible today. A priority for the Council has always been the provision of affordable housing and over recent years, working with preferred
For almost 51 years, stevedoring company, ZHD Stevedores, based in Dordrecht in the Netherlands, has been using Bobcat skid-steer loaders to clear the holds of ships and to move material around so that the grabs on the large unloading cranes on the dockside are kept busy. This way of working
The Sky campus in Osterley, West London, is entering the next stage of redevelopment with the creation of a new innovation centre. ISG has struck a deal to deliver the project, which will see the site of two former buildings make way for a three-storey hybrid steel and cross laminated
Students go to university for academic interest, future careers, not to mention social life. Usually, they start their studies at a local university, which allows them to save money while trying to obtain a bachelor’s degree. At one point to another, they decide to transfer to a different school. They
The regeneration of key areas of Warrington is part of a 20-year vision held by Warrington Borough Council but evidence of that vision yielding results are very much visible today. A priority for the Council has always been the provision of affordable housing and over recent years, working with preferred development partner, Torus, huge progress has been made. With a portfolio of more than 8,000 homes in Warrington, Torus – the largest provider of social housing in the borough – has a commitment to creating stronger, more sustainable communities through regeneration that supports wider economic growth. Working closely with Warrington Borough Council to identify areas in need of direct investment, the group is currently developing 466 homes in Warrington with a further 130 in the pipeline. This investment will total around £75m. These homes, in areas including Bewsey and Dallam, Padgate, Orford, Burtonwood, Stretton, Appleton and the town centre, will be available for both rent and ownership, through affordable solutions like shared ownership (part buy/part rent) and rent to buy. In Academy Street, close to the newly rejuvenated Times Square, Roebuck Plaza, a development of 144 apartments is quickly taking shape and will offer a choice of one and two bedroomed apartments available through rent to buy. This scheme helps make the transition from renting to buying easier and more affordable by offering a subsidised rent with the option to purchase after 5 years and is an ideal option for first time buyers and downsizers alike. Managing Director of Torus Developments, Chris Bowen said: “As one of our key heartlands, Warrington, its communities and the people who live in them are a priority for us. “Our vision is to grow stronger communities and providing affordable housing plays a huge role but it’s only part of what we do. “Any profit we make from the sale of our homes is reinvested back into our communities where our charity, Torus Foundation helps people maximise their income, find work and improve their chances in life. Not only does this add real value to the work we do, it supports the Council’s wellbeing agenda.” Warrington Borough Council Leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “We know how important it is to provide a diverse mix of housing which meets the needs of all of our residents, from first time buyers and growing families to older residents and vulnerable people. That’s why I’m delighted to see such a range of properties being delivered, offering so much choice – including affordable rent, shared ownership and rent-to-buy. I’m also delighted that every single one of these homes is being built on brownfield sites.” But the focus for Torus isn’t all about young families and first-time buyers. At a time when Council budgets for adult health and social care are under considerable pressure, Torus is partnering with the local authority to offer homes for over 55s that are designed to support active and independent aging in housing where on-site care is available as needs change. Harpers Green a flagship extra care facility in Padgate, developed by Torus, is due to handover in May this year and will offer 97 homes for older people available for affordable rent and shared ownership. Two further schemes for over 55s in Orford and Appleton are also planned. Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Maureen McLaughlin said: “These homes are being developed with inclusive communities and health and wellbeing in mind, helping older people continue to live independently, and – through the Torus Foundation Charitable Trust – helping to tackle deprivation by providing help and advice over bills and benefits, upskilling residents and creating new opportunities for people. This supports key aspects of our own health and wellbeing agenda. “Seeing all of these fantastic projects either on site or being brought forward is testament to how effective partnerships can help us deliver great things. It’s about regenerating communities, meeting the needs of our growing town, putting residents’ health and wellbeing first and building a better future for Warrington.”
For almost 51 years, stevedoring company, ZHD Stevedores, based in Dordrecht in the Netherlands, has been using Bobcat skid-steer loaders to clear the holds of ships and to move material around so that the grabs on the large unloading cranes on the dockside are kept busy. This way of working was introduced to be able to unload or load a ship as quickly as possible so that it can sail again, as idle time costs money in shipping. Any part of the load that remains out of reach of the grabs on the cranes is collected and removed by the Bobcat loaders using hydraulic sweeper attachments. The Bobcat skid-steer loaders for this work including the new S770 models that ZHD Stevedores has just purchased, have to undergo many modifications before they are delivered to the company. This work is carried out by Inter-Techno, the Dutch importer for the Bobcat range for more than 40 years and Inter-Techno describes this as creating a ‘port edition’ of the skid-steer loader, after special modifications are implemented in the company’s workshop in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. This special edition machine was developed jointly with ZHD Stevedores. ZHD Stevedores is a family business that provides stevedoring services for a large number of clients in Dordrecht and at three locations on the Moerdijk industrial park. A number of important customers are located on the ZHD site, where they carry out production processes with materials that enter via the port. ZHD takes care of the storage and transfer of the materials for them. This can vary from steel rolls and scrap to bulk materials such as coal, iron ore, slag sand, pebbles, gravel, sand, sugar, salt and basically anything that can be loaded and unloaded with a grab. To meet this demand, ZHD Stevedores has more than 100 grapples at its disposal. Over the years, ZHD has invested heavily in flexible mobile and floating cranes with a high capacity to optimally serve its customers in Moerdijk, Dordrecht and Rotterdam. The showpiece machines include a self-built 50-tonne self-propelled floating crane (gripper company, general cargo 100T), a 170-tonne hydraulic tyre crane and another two self-propelled 25-tonne floating cranes (40T general cargo) in Antwerp, Belgium. The floating cranes are used to load big sea-going vessels including the largest Capesize ships or to transfer their cargo to inland vessels and coasters. Operators Request Bobcat Machines The method of discharging ships using skid-steer loaders has been around since the 1960s. It proved to be the most flexible solution. The circumstances and the materials involved make it impossible to use other methods such as conveyor belts or suction systems. Initially, Bobcat skid-steer loaders were almost always used for this work at ZHD, with the exception of the period between 2000 and 2009. “When new skid-steer loaders had to be ordered in 2008, our operators were able to try out a new Bobcat S330 model with air conditioning. This worked much better than the skid-steer loaders of another brand that were in use at that time. At the request of the operators, ZHD Stevedores switched back to Bobcat skid-steer loaders in 2009,” said Jan Elferink, material management manager at ZHD Stevedores. In 2009, the first Bobcat machine to be purchased was given the number 28. Currently, there are 16 machines in use; with numbers from 36 up to 51. At the end of January 2020, two new Bobcat S770 skid-steer loaders – given the numbers 52 and 53 – were delivered to ZHD Stevedores to replace the machines with the numbers 36 and 37. ZHD has kept one of the two older models and the other one has been sold at an auction. Modification and Maintenance Before they can be used for unloading work, the Bobcat skid-steer loaders undergo a number of important modifications, which are mainly dictated by the environments in which the machines must operate. All modifications are made at Inter-Techno in Apeldoorn, after which the machines are delivered ready for use in the corporate colours of ZHD Stevedores. Regular maintenance and repairs are carried out by ZHD Stevedores itself. Whilst a dedicated engineer is responsible for the maintenance work within the material management department, ZHD has also added extra Protection Plus warranty for the machines, which offers an extended warranty period of three years to provide extra security in case the company’s engineers are faced with a problem they cannot handle. In this way, ZHD has ensured that the loaders are up and running again quickly with little or no downtime. Protective ‘Fresh Air’ Cab “The modifications on the machines include the treatment of plugs and cable harnesses with a special moisture-resistant coating. The moist and dusty environment is not good for the electronics on board,” Jan Elferink explained. “The adjustments to the cabs are also important. Drivers used to work in an open cab with a cage construction, but the requirements for working conditions and safety have become increasingly strict. To protect the driver against dust, overpressure cabs have been used for around 12 years to keep the dust out. The air that is blown into the cab goes through a P1 and P3 filter that captures very fine particles. P3 filters remove particles up to 50 x WNG (Legal Dutch Limit Value) so drivers no longer need to wear air masks.” The standard cab on Bobcat skid-steer loaders is both ROPS (Roll-Over Protection Structure) and FOPS (Falling Object Protective Structure) certified, but to protect the driver even more, instead of the glass in the door of the machines, this is replaced by Bobcat-Lexan, a very strong plastic material that is very difficult to break or damage. In order to give the driver even better all-round visibility, a special ZHD rear-view camera is mounted on the rear hood. Tough Design Made Even Tougher A number of modifications have also been made on the outside of the Bobcat loaders. First of all, the machines are sprayed in the house colours of ZHD, blue and yellow. Four additional tie down points
The Sky campus in Osterley, West London, is entering the next stage of redevelopment with the creation of a new innovation centre. ISG has struck a deal to deliver the project, which will see the site of two former buildings make way for a three-storey hybrid steel and cross laminated timber (CLT) frame structure. Demolition has already been completed on site ahead of the development of the new media centre. Targeting a BREEAM Excellent environmental performance rating, Sky’s new innovation centre will be delivered with a significant focus on driving down embodied carbon, reducing waste through prefabrication and efficient design, and ensuring materials are responsibly sourced. One hundred percent of construction waste will be diverted from landfill, and ISG will be working alongside the supply chain to eliminate single-use plastic packaging during the construction phase. This is all part of Sky’s commitment to become Net Zero Carbon by 2030, two decades before the Government’s target. The scheme also includes the construction of an adjacent circular pavilion dining building with an impressive CLT pitched roof. This single-storey structure incorporates a large commercial kitchen and provides accommodation for circa 450 covers. A significant landscaping package sees ISG provide a range of hard and soft landscaping design elements. Steven McGee, managing director of ISG’s London Construction business, commented: “Sky is globally recognised as a company at the forefront of innovation, and this latest investment in spaces to inspire and nurture the creativity of its teams demonstrates the company’s commitment to delivering the best possible outcome for its people and its customers. People are at the heart of the design for the new innovation centre, which is targeting a WELL Gold certification, as is consideration for the planet. “The focus around eliminating single-use plastics and reducing carbon are key areas which could have significant positive implications on behaviours and practices across the wider industry, and we see this as a major legacy of the project.”
Students go to university for academic interest, future careers, not to mention social life. Usually, they start their studies at a local university, which allows them to save money while trying to obtain a bachelor’s degree. At one point to another, they decide to transfer to a different school. They think about attending university abroad. The United States is renowned for higher education opportunities, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that international students apply to American universities. Do you want to study in the United States? If the answer is yes, you’re in luck. It’s not that hard. The transfer of credit from non-U.S. universities Thanks to the flexibility of the credit system, you can transfer from any university to a U.S. university without losing your valuable academic credit. You can transfer up to 75 credits from your prior studies. For a B.A., you need a minimum of 45 credits. Determine how your foreign credit is evaluated by consulting with the admissions counselor or international student advisor. The more credits you’re able to transfer, the fewer courses you have to take. And the more likely you are to earn your bachelor’s degree. Demonstrating English language proficiency International transfer students are required to take English proficiency exams to demonstrate that they have a good command of the language. Educational institutions want to ensure that students can cope with the demands of the degree-level study. Standardized testing includes TOEFL. The test focuses on how English is deployed in academic settings. If you manage to pass the TOEFL, you’ll assure the American university that your English skills are strong enough to enable you to succeed. The score you need depends largely on where you choose to study. Applying for admission The transfer application process isn’t complicated, but you could use a little bit of help. With proper assistance, you can successfully navigate the process. Work with experienced counselors that will provide useful information, strategies, and tactics to help you meet your admissions goal, all in an effort to make your transition smoother. It’s ideal for international students thinking about applying to several highly-selective schools. If the road you’ve previously taken doesn’t fulfill your academic needs anymore, seek opportunities in your field of study. Universities in the United States are becoming a popular study destination for Chinese students. If thousands of students go abroad to study, why shouldn’t you? You’ll get more than a tangible degree. The transfer timeline for international students The recommended timeline for a 美国大学转学 reflects that of prospective first-year students. To be more precise, it’s necessary to kick off the application process 12 months in advance. Students who want to begin studying in the autumn should send over the application materials in early spring. On the other hand, those applying for spring have to submit their application materials by early autumn. There is no deadline as far as some institutions are concerned. However, they do have priority dates that you must respect.
